Lystrosaurus fauna

The Lystrosaurus fauna (/list-trə-SORE-əs/) was a characteristic Triassic fauna, first found in South Africa, which included the synapsids Lystrosaurus (shown above) and Thrinaxodon, as well as the reptile Procolophon, among other forms. The presence of this faunal assemblage in the fossil deposits of Africa, India, and Antarctica provided confirmatory evidence that those continents were once parts of a single ancient supercontinent, now known as Gondwana. Lystrosaurus was far and away the most abundant terrestrial vertebrate of the Early Triassic. Indeed, for a time it accounted for 95% of all land vertebrates worldwide. No other land animal has ever achieved such lopsided dominance.